Jennifer Holm is an RN at Watsonville Community Hospital. She attended Quorum's annual shareholders meeting at the Franklin Marriott on Tuesday.

Blake Farmer
/ WPLN

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Nurses and doctors who work for two Franklin-based hospital chains say the companies' financial uncertainty is becoming evident on the frontlines of patient care. Several nurses spoke at the annual shareholders meetings of Community Health Systems and its recent spinoff, Quorum. Both were held Tuesday morning at the Cool Springs Marriott.

At a California hospital owned by Quorum, RN Jennifer Holm says her obstetrics unit has lost 40 percent of its staff over the last few years.

"You lose the nurses who can kind of watch out for the newer nurses," she says. "It means that our night shift right now struggles to adequately staff the unit to provide appropriate care."

Holm says it feels like the hospital isn't overly concerned with filling openings with experienced nurses.

"There's a hesitancy to invest in the long term. The things like recruitment and retention, it's harder to do," she says.

As an owner of some Quorum stock, Holm was allowed to speak at the annual shareholders meeting. Her nurses union has been arguing any company considering a deal with Quorum or Community Health should know that they may have to make investments to improve the overall operations of the hospitals.

A Community Health spokesperson has not responded to a request for comment.

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